The practice of recycling household waste has recently been adopted throughout the United States and in many foreign countries. This revolution in the handling of waste has resulted in the need for a recycling container that is easy to carry, is stackable, i.e., is constructed in such a way that several of the containers can be nested one inside the other and more specifically, has a carrying handle that will not interfere with good stacking characteristics.
The garbage and recycling industry has made a commitment to provide a co-mingled recycling recovery program in which mixed recyclables are collected. As a result, hundreds of material recovery facilities are now operating or are under construction. In these programs, recyclable waste is collected at the point of generation and is then delivered to a recovery facility where material is separated, processed and end marketed.
In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, one object of the invention is to provide a new method and container for separating, depositing and collecting recyclable materials both in the home and in commercial locations.
Another object is to minimize the labor required in handling and carrying recyclable materials that are deposited in the container.
Another object is to maximize saving of space by providing a recycling container that can be placed very close to the point where recyclable materials are generated, namely the kitchen, more specifically in a cabinet beneath the kitchen sink.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a recycling container suited for co-mingled recycling by assisting in the separation of recyclable materials into two categories at home so that it can be used as an in-house recovery container as well as for commercial use.
It has been found that a container for sorting recyclable materials is most effectively stored in a cabinet under the kitchen sink. To be successful we found that the container should have a carrying handle that does not extend above the top edge of the container. It was found, for example, in our preliminary evaluation that a handle which extended even a few inches above the top edge of the container would be likely to strike obstructions such as pipes in the cabinet. Accordingly, it is another object of the invention to find a way of providing a recycling container with a handle that is recessed and even though located at an elevation no higher than the upper edge of the container will not interfere with the ease of carrying the container or stacking of the containers one inside another.
A more specific object of the invention is to provide a comfortable handle which will enable the container to be easily carried with one arm and yet will allow the container to be placed in a cabinet under the kitchen sink because it has no projecting portions that, if present, could strike plumbing or other objects in the cabinet while at the same time maximizing the nesting capabilities of the container.
Another object of the invention is to provide a recycling container having a pair of side-by-side upwardly opening compartments with a wide mouth at the top of each compartment and to find a way of connecting and supporting the upper edge of a flexible plastic liner from the mouth of each of the compartments.
A more specific object is to enable the open top of a plastic film liner bag to be turned downwardly over the edge of each compartment with a provision for reliably holding the upper edge of the liner bag in place at the top edge of the compartment so that when recyclable materials are placed in the bag, the bag itself will not accidentally slide or be pushed into the container.
These and other more detailed and specific objects of the present invention will be better understood by reference to the following figures and detailed description which illustrate by way of example but a few of the various forms of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.